🤖 Tech & Computer Science

A technocognitive approach to detecting fallacies in climate misinformation

This study combines psychology and AI to detect fallacies in climate misinformation. By linking specific fallacies to misinformation examples, researchers trained a model that identifies issues like fake experts more effectively than past models, aiming to enable automatic, generative corrections for climate misinformation.

Scaling Properties of Diffusion Models for Perceptual Tasks

This paper shows that diffusion models can handle visual perception tasks like depth estimation, optical flow, and segmentation through iterative image-to-image translation. By optimizing training and scaling compute, these models achieve competitive or superior results to state-of-the-art methods with less data and compute.

⚛️ Physics and Chemistry

Low-cost method removes micro- and nanoplastics from water

University of São Paulo researchers have created a nanotechnology-based solution to remove micro- and nanoplastics from water. Their approach uses magnetic nanoparticles coated with polydopamine, which binds to plastic particles. A magnetic field then removes these bound particles from water. This method targets both visible microplastics and nearly undetectable nanoplastics, which pose significant health and environmental risks.

Global carbon emissions reach new record high in 2024, with no end in sight, scientists say

Global fossil fuel emissions reached a record high in 2024, with 41.2 billion tons of CO₂ released—a 0.8% increase from 2023. Including emissions from land-use changes, total CO₂ emissions hit 45.8 billion tons. At this rate, there’s a 50% chance of surpassing the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C warming limit within six years. The Global Carbon Budget report, released at COP29, stresses the urgent need for rapid emission cuts to prevent surpassing 2°C warming amidst intensifying climate impacts.

🧬 Biology & Medicine

The quest to build bionic limbs that feel like the real thing

In a groundbreaking effort to restore lost sensation and mobility, scientists have developed brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and robotic limbs that provide tactile feedback. These advances allow paralyzed individuals to feel sensations from prosthetic limbs, helping them sense temperature and touch. Researchers are also testing e-skin and sensory integration methods to further improve embodiment and functionality. Challenges remain, especially in creating fully realistic sensations and addressing ethical and accessibility issues as these technologies advance toward clinical use.

When muscles work out, they help neurons to grow, a new study shows

MIT engineers found that exercise benefits not only muscles but also neurons. Muscle contractions release myokines, which promote neuron growth, helping neurons grow up to four times farther. Physical forces on neurons, mimicking muscle contractions, also stimulate neuron growth. This research, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, suggests that exercise’s physical and biochemical impacts on neurons could lead to treatments for nerve injuries by enhancing muscle-nerve communication.

Stem-cell implants restore vision in patients with corneal stem cell deficiency

A recent Lancet study evaluated using iPSC-derived corneal epithelial cell sheets (iCEPS) to treat limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), which leads to severe vision impairment. Researchers from Osaka University treated four patients with iCEPS grafts over 52 weeks, assessing safety and preliminary effectiveness. Early findings suggest iCEPS may offer a viable alternative to current treatments, potentially bypassing issues like immune rejection and limited graft availability, though further trials are needed to confirm these results on a larger scale.

🔭 Space & Astronomy

NASA’s Mars Rovers Are Having a Rough Time Out There

NASA’s Perseverance rover, now on its fifth scientific campaign, faces significant challenges as it climbs the steep, slippery rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater, causing drives to take twice as long. Curiosity, another Mars rover, recently had to abandon a dried channel exploration after its wheels got stuck on rocks. Perseverance, equipped with an autonomous navigation system, continues to cautiously navigate Jezero’s western rim, where ancient hydrothermal activity may hold clues to past life on Mars.

China's Mars rover Zhurong finds possible shoreline of ancient Red Planet ocean

Happy Martian New Year! The 38th Martian year since humans began counting has started, marked by exciting findings from China's Zhurong rover. The rover's data supports the theory that Mars once had an ancient ocean, highlighting features like sediment channels and mud volcanoes in the northern hemisphere. These suggest a coastline formed around 3.68 billion years ago, likely frozen for a brief period before drying out. This discovery provides new insights into Mars' watery past.

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